Mavericks Monta Ellis Says he was “Unhappy” in Milwaukee

Unhappiness seemed to be the theme for the Milwaukee Bucks last season.

Brandon Jennings was “unhappy” with his contract situation, J.J. Redick was “unhappy” with the amount of playing time he received after arriving from the Orlando Magic via trade, head coach Scott Skiles, was “unhappy” with the make up and attitude of his team, and Larry Sanders, their young and talented center, just seemed grumpy all season. It’s no coincidence that with the exception of Sanders, they’re no longer there.

Another individual who couldn’t wait to escape Milwaukee, was guard Monta Ellis. According to a story courtesy the Associated Press, Ellis told reporters at the Dallas Mavericks introductory press conference on Thursday, that the workload was too much and that contributed to his poor numbers last season.

Monta Ellis says he had to do “60 percent of everything” in Golden State and Milwaukee.

“When you’re in a place where you’re unhappy, it’s very hard to perform to your best ability,” said Ellis, declining to discuss his time with the Bucks in more detail by saying he “left it in Milwaukee.”

“So this is a new beginning, a new fresh start, better organization, better teammates,” he said.

His last sentence indicates that the situation in Milwaukee was pretty toxic, and that’s what happens when everyone has their own motives and are pulling in a different directions. It’s actually quite surprising that they were able to make the playoffs in an environment where it seemed the goals of the team were secondary to that of the individuals.

Now that Ellis is with the Mavericks, his workload will be lessened and he won’t have any excuses to hide behind if he shoots 29% from the 3-point line, like he did last season.